KITCHEN CAPERS
In the interests of scrimping( and making sure nothing lurks in the fridge, freezer or store cupboard for too long) I like to have a good kitchen clear out every couple of months. It saves money, gives me the opportunity to clean without having to rearrange the entire kitchen and allows my inventive side to come to the fore. That despondent cry“ There’ s nothing to eat!” just isn’ t allowed in my house. There’ s something; it just takes a little time and imagination … with Gi l
An Indian Feast; perfect for a Saturday night in
My Indian feast was made entirely from the store cupboard, plus a few everyday essential ingredients like potatoes, onions, eggs and butter. This is a vegetarian meal; you could add prawns or chicken to the main curry dish for meat eaters, or remove the eggs and butter / ghee to make the meal suitable for vegans. Serves 4-6
· Potato and egg curry
· Sweet and sour lentil dhal
· Mushroom bhaji
· Almond pilau rice
· Fresh chapati
Potato and egg curry
This is perfect for using up bits and pieces from the fridge. I’ ve made this curry with some left over new potatoes, some eggs and green beans but you could pretty much use anything you like. Aubergine, cauliflower and broad beans work brilliantly. It’ ll work well with chicken or prawns if you prefer a meat based dish.
· New potatoes – approx. 500g
· 4 eggs
· 1 large onion finely chopped
· 1 tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter or ghee
· 2 cloves garlic crushed
· Thumb sized piece of ginger peeled and grated, or ½ tsp ground ginger
· 1tsp each of ground coriander, cumin and garam masala
· 1 tin coconut milk
· 400ml chicken or vegetable stock
· Vegetables – green beans, peas, broad beans, aubergine, cauliflower etc. cut into even sized pieces around 2cm
· Salt, pepper and if you have it, fresh coriander roughly chopped
1. Cut the potatoes into chunks, parboil for 5 minutes if raw and roast in a little olive oil until golden. 2. Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, run under cold water then drain, peel and cut into quarters. 3. Cook the onion gently in a large lidded sauté pan with a drizzle of oil and a knob of butter until golden and soft. 4. Add the spices, garlic and ginger to the onions and fry for a minute to form a paste. 5. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for 20 minutes. 6. Season to taste and add the fresh herbs.
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